Although a retail package can be decorative and encourage purchase of the enclosed article, the primary purpose of any packaging is to protect the article from shipping and handling hazards. Auxiliary packing materials also may have other functions, but again a primary function is to protect the article. These primary functions are especially critical when shipping or handling fragile or delicate articles.
Packing for delicate, fragile, sensitive or specially configured items should be small, light weight, pleasing in appearance and low in cost. However, at the same time, the packing must be able to withstand shipping and handling loads transmitted by the external package or container without transmitting excessive amounts of these loads to the article being shipped. The packaging must also be able to perform its functions within the limitations of a difficult environment, including extremes of temperature, altitude (pressure), shock, vibration, and stacking of containers and or articles within containers.
A variety of approaches to packaging fragile articles are currently available. One approach uses a fill material within an external container. The fill material may be foam, wood chips, tissue (paper), excelsior, grey chip dunnage, dimpled kraft, foam sheeting, newspaper or elastomeric materials. A modification of this approach uses expanding materials such as foam in place compounds within a container. The fill or packing material distributes the shipping and handling loads throughout the fill material and to the many contact points with the article being shipped. A second related approach is to provide a specially shaped restraint within the container. The special shape again distributes shipping and handling loads, but does not require a complete fill within the container. The special shape may be obtained by molding or preforming the restraint to intimately surround the article. This can be accomplished by die cut material stand offs, built-pads, end caps and spacers generally made from corrugated or solid foam materials. Except for the deformation of the fill material, the full shipping and handling loads are transmitted to the fragile article.
Another approach protects the delicate article with deformable wrapping, liners, pads, sacks, crush or other materials. These materials allow very limited movement within the container (not a complete fill of the container). These flexible materials near the article may be further restrained by rigid materials within the container. Examples include struts and stays, cardboard or stiff paper, restraining a wrapped article placed in the container. Heat shrinkable films have been used as the flexible wrap to obtain good contact and encapsulation. Again, except for the very limited movement and deformation of wrapping and other materials, the full shipping and handling loads are transmitted to the wrapped fragile article.
In another approach, a preformed rigid container or package is used, allowing very little movement within the container. The container withstands the shipping and handling loads. Examples include blister packs and rolled drawing containers. These rigid or semi-rigid containers can also be attached to a card to provide a means for rack or hook display. In a modification of this approach, the container is transparent allowing the customer to view the article. In a further modification, package is not preformed, but is shrunk fit or formed around the article while the packaging material is flexible (for example using vacuum to draw a thermosetting plastic film around the article), then setting the previously flexible material to form a rigid container. This skin packaging approach immobilizes the article and completely encapsulates it. This technique is particularly suited to odd shaped items.
In another approach, the article is suspended around a structure by attaching elastic cords or other tension type devices. The structure may be separate from or combined into the external container. This approach is especially useful in withstanding large shipping and handling shock loads with minimum transfer of the load to the article being shipped.
All the above described approaches rely upon one or more of the following techniques:
(1) the article is attached to rigid, protective packaging materials, or PA1 (2) the article is cushioned by loosely fitting wrap, filled or crushable packing material, or PA1 (3) the article is protected by rigid/crushable adjoining package material. PA1 Unless special provisions are made, use of flexible packing materials is difficult, requiring refill of loose material, reattachment or reclosable rigid packaging material designs. PA1 Multiple articles require more than just larger containers, necessitating added attachment, separators (especially for loose fill options) and/or added rigid packing materials. PA1 Many different packings are required to be stocked if different items are to be shipped. PA1 Filling and closing time/costs are significant.
All of these approaches have the following limitations: